DOA Registration for Restaurants and Hotels: What Needs to Be Done by October 31?

The registration process for the Deposit Returnable Packaging System, implemented across Turkey, has begun for hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Businesses must complete their registrations through the Deposit Information Management System by the end of October, define their facilities and branches, and identify the authorized field operator they will work with.

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has announced that administrative action will be taken against businesses that do not participate in the system within the specified timeframe, according to the relevant legislation. Therefore, October 31, 2026, should be considered not as an optional transition period offered to businesses, but as the date by which the mandatory integration process must be completed.

The new regulation does not only concern environmental or corporate social responsibility teams. It requires a complete reorganization of beverage purchasing, inventory management, service, separation of empty packaging, storage, accounting, and delivery processes to the operator.

Why does the DOA system directly cover restaurants and hotels?

According to the Ministry's statement, approximately 65% of beverages with the DOA logo are consumed in hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Therefore, for the system to operate on a national scale, it is essential that the high volume of packaging generated in HoReKa businesses is collected in a registered manner, not just through return machines set up in supermarkets or public areas.

The Deposit Management System aims to digitally track the process from the release of packaging to its collection and sending to recycling facilities. The official DBYS portal defines hotels, restaurants, cafes, and similar businesses as "special marketing areas."

The system transitioned to the national integration phase in 81 provinces as of July 1, 2026. A deposit fee of 1 TL is paid to consumers for each suitable DOA logo packaging they return. It has been announced that businesses will receive an incentive payment of 20 kuruş for each suitable packaging brought into the system.

These two payments must be kept separate. The 1 TL payment made to the consumer is the deposit refund for the packaging. The 20 kuruş announced to businesses is the business incentive offered for packaging that is collected and verified within the system.

Which packaging is included?

Not every bottle or can generated in businesses is automatically covered by the DOA. According to the official system, the current application includes single-use PET, glass, and aluminum beverage packaging that has a deposit mark and a volume ranging from 0.10 to 3.01 liters.

Product categories included are drinking water, natural mineral water, carbonated and flavored beverages, beer, malt beverages, energy drinks, and sports drinks. Some categories, such as fruit juices, dairy products, wine, and distilled beverages, will be included in the system at a later date, as determined by TÜÇA.

This distinction is particularly important for hotels, bars, and restaurants with extensive beverage menus. Collecting all glass bottles in one area may lead to a mix of packaging covered by DOA and those that are not.

Operational teams must check the DOA mark on the product and manage the packaging covered by the deposit separately from other glass, plastic, or metal waste.

How will businesses register in DBYS?

The process on the official DBYS portal consists of three main stages:

1. Creating a user account on behalf of the business and entering company information into the system

2. Defining the facilities and branches associated with the business separately

3. Applying for HoReKa for the relevant branches to activate the packaging collection service

After the application, a digital wallet specific to the business is defined. The business can track collection and payment processes through this wallet.

The Ministry's statement also mentions that businesses need to identify their authorized field operators. The collected packaging will be regularly picked up from the business by these operators; collection, transportation, and verification processes will be recorded through the digital system.

For multi-branch restaurant chains and hotel groups, it may not be sufficient to open only the central company account. Each facility must be defined in the system with the correct type, address, and operational information; the collection service must be activated on a branch basis.

What should businesses do before waiting for October 31?

While the registration process can be completed online, the physical operation of the application requires preparation. Businesses must first determine which department will be responsible for the process.

In hotels, food and beverage, purchasing, housekeeping, stewarding, sustainability, and finance teams can all be involved in the same process. In restaurants, a clear division of responsibilities should be established among the bar, service, kitchen, storage, and accounting teams.

Completing the following preparations before implementation will be beneficial:

• Checking the DOA mark on purchased beverages

• Updating branch and facility information

• Creating a separate collection area for included packaging

• Storing PET, glass, and aluminum packaging without mixing

• Determining the frequency of delivery and the delivery area with the field operator

• Matching digital wallet movements with financial records

• Providing brief training on the application to service, bar, storage, and cleaning teams

• Clarifying how to manage broken, crushed, or unreadable packaging

The method of collection may vary depending on whether the packaging is generated in customer areas, bars, rooms, or event halls. For example, the daily packaging amount and storage needs of an all-inclusive hotel and a small restaurant with table service are not the same.

Therefore, instead of placing a general waste bin in the business, it is healthier to measure how much packaging is generated in which department over a few weeks to create a more effective collection plan.

Will incentive income cover costs?

The incentive of 20 kuruş per packaging announced to businesses may support participation in the system. However, it is not possible to say that this amount will fully cover storage space, employee time, equipment, internal transport, and administrative tracking costs for every business.

The economic impact of the incentive will depend on the number of packages collected by the business. While revenue may be limited for a small cafe, the total amount may be more visible in a high-volume resort hotel, event center, or restaurant chain.

Therefore, the system should not be evaluated merely as an additional income item. The main gain for the business may be the measurable flow of packaging, documentation of compliance with legislation, and more orderly waste management.

The Ministry aims to recover approximately 25 billion beverage packages annually in Turkey; initially targeting a recovery rate of 50%, and reaching 80% when the system matures. The expected annual economic contribution is announced as 30 billion TL. These are not realized results but rather the targets of the system.

What will be the consequence of not registering?

The official statement mentions that administrative action will be taken against businesses that do not fulfill their obligations by the end of October, according to the relevant legislation. However, the announcement does not specify a certain penalty amount or a table of sanctions to be applied for each violation.

Therefore, businesses should not act based on unverified penalty figures mentioned in social media posts or secondary news. Current obligation and sanction information should be checked through the legislation section of DBYS and the official announcements of TÜÇA. The DBYS portal states that the procedures and principles of the system have been published by TÜÇA.

Stafflink's Opinion

According to Stafflink, the DOA system should not be seen merely as a new waste separation application for businesses. The system brings together purchasing, inventory, service, cleaning, accounting, and sustainability data within the same operational chain.

The biggest risk of the application is leaving the responsibility solely to the cleaning or waste team. If the purchasing unit does not separate covered and uncovered products, the service team does not direct packaging to the correct bin, or the accounting does not track digital wallet transactions, the system may falter in daily operations even if it is completed on record.

It would be more accurate for businesses to view October 31 not just as the last day for registration, but as the date by which processes need to be operational. Early registering businesses will have more time to measure packaging amounts, test operator deliveries, and address training gaps for employees.

In the long term, the success of the system will be measured not only by the number of packages collected but also by the operational support provided to businesses, the capacity of field operators, and how easily employees can integrate the application into their daily workflow.